Vehicle direction indicator



July 25, 1950 w. E. O'SH EI 2,516,489

VEHICLE DIRECTION INDICATOR Filed Dec. 1, 19 47 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 n r v I I 3 l i 1 Inventor v Attorney) y 1950 EiO'Si-{El 2,516,480

VEHICLE DIRECTION INDICA'EOR Filed Dec. 1-. 1,9}?

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 25, 1950 OFFICE VEHICLE DIBECTIONINDICATOR William Edward OS hei, London, England Application December 1, 1947, Serial No. 789,097 In Great Britain November 28, 1946 Claims. (Cl. 177-329) The present invention relates to vehicle directionindicators of the semaphore type, and more particularly to an improved operating mechanism for locking or holding the-arm in' its non-displayed position whilst allowing the looking or holding means to release when it raise the arm manually.

One object of the present invention is to pro-. vide an improved flexible lock of the type referred to, which is simple tomanufacture and which will release under a relatively small applied force when the semaphore arm is manually raised, whereby the arm will not be unduly strained. Another object is to provide an indicator in which the manual raising of the arm applies a direct force to the actuating armature, in its direction of movement, in the event that the armature should stick and not readily release under the forces applied through the flexible lock.

' A still further object of the invention is to provide an indicator in which the armis locked in the non-displayed position, but in which the lock cannot wedgev with such force that it cannot be released by the energisation of the operating solenoid. 4

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows a side view of a vehicle direction indicator according to the invention with some. parts cut away to show the operating mechanism more clearly. Themechanism is shown with the arm in the locked position.v l

Fig. 2 shows a similar view to that shown in Fig. 1 but from the opposite side of the direction indicator. g

Fig. 3shows a view of the mechanism, from the same side as Fig. 2, with the indicator arm in the, partly raised position. v i

Fig. 4 shows a view of the mechanism when the indicator arm is still further raised, as viewed from the same side as the view of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 5 shows a sideview of an alternative embodiment with the operating mechanism in the locked'position.

Fig. 6 shows a view corresponding to Fig.5 from the opposite side of the indicator.

Figs- 7 and 8 showv views of the mechanism from opposite sides of the indicator, respectively, with the arm in the partly raised position. 1

' Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, I is the solenoid and 2 the armature which .is slidable therein and is conveniently of circular cross-. section. The semaphorearm of the indicator is is desired to 2 accommodates an illuminating lamp (not shown) and ,is conveniently constructed as a moulding of 1 translucent plastic material, the inner end thereof being fitted into a socket 4 formed in a metal bearing plate 5 which is pivoted on a spindle 6 extending between the limbs of a v.U- shaped bracket 1 carried by the back plate'B. {I'heconstruction of the semaphore arm andits mode of mounting is more fully described in the specification of my co-pending application Serial No. 752,192,.filed June 3, 1947.

,,The armature 2 has secured thereto atv its upper end a locking plate 9 having an L-shaped slot llltherein as illustrated. This locking plate may be stamped fromsheet metal and be secured by a rivet or spot-welding to the substantially semi-cylindrical end of the armature formed by cutting away part of the material of the armature thereat.

..The bearing plate 5 has pivoted thereto a lever II which is conveniently made of channel formedto embrace both surfaces of the end of the bearing plate 5, the pivot pin l2 passing through bothwalls of the channel and the material of the bearingplate positioned therebetween. A spring I3 coiled around an extension of the pivot pin and engaging with one of its arms |3a above the lever Hand with its other arm I312 against the pivot pin 6,urges the lever ll close against the end of the bearing plate. At its free end the lever ll carries a pin I 4 upon which is mounted a grooved roller I5 which is adapted to move within the L -s haped slot l0 formed in the locking plate 9.

The pm I4 is also connected by a helical tension spring; l6 to a member I! fixed to and preferably: stamped up; from the -material of the locking.

plate 9,. Thisspring l6 serves to raise thearmatureand locking plate 9 when the arm is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to cause the roller. l5 to move in the downwardly extending section.

of the slot H] and engage with the inclined inner wedging surface [9 thereof and thus lock the arminthe non-displayed position. N

When the solenoid l is energised to operate the armature swings the semaphore arm about thepivotii to its horizontal position, the roller l5;

moving along the horizontal section of theslot. Ill during this movement of the arm.

QWhen the solenoid l is deenergised, the arm falls by gravity, theroller l5 first moving along: constructed with a translucent portion 3 which I the horizontal section ofthe slot Ill to raisethe.

3 armature 2 until the roller l5 lies opposite the vertical section of the slot H3 when the stretched spring it; will give the armature a final upward movement to locate the roller IS in the downwardly extending section of the slot l and lock the arm in the non-displayed position.

Whilst th locking mechanism described locks the indicator arm in the non-displayed position to prevent it from swinging out of the case or vehicle body, it nevertheless permits the arm to be raised manually without energising the solenoid, if this should be desired. The action of the flexible lock is as follows.

Upon manually raising the semaphore arm, the lever l l turns against the actionof the spring 13 and the roller l rides up the surface [9 of the vertically extending section of the slot (see Fig. 3) and finally snaps into the horizontal section of the slot H! (see Fig. 4) the spring l3 then moving the lever ll back close to the end of the bearing plate'with consequential-slight downward movement of the locking plate 9 and armature 2. Upon further manual raising of the arm, the roller [5 moves across the horizontalsection of the slot land lowers the armature.

In order that the arm should not vibrate when held-by the lock in its non-displayed'position, the tower end of the arm has, in previously known constructions, generally 'en'gaged wi-th a bufier o'r'stop of rubber or the like material, and due to the wedging action of the locking means dimculty has been experiencedin adjusting the position of this bottom buffer so that the locking means is not so wedged that the solenoidhas insuflicient power to release the lock when the arm has to be raised electrically. It will be appreciated that if the arm falls with high speed against such a rubber buffer, the lock can tend to move further along the wedge surface when the rubber buffer is compressed, the rebound-oi the arm then wedging the lock sotig-htly that the solenoid cannot release it when electri'ccurrent is applied. Known indicators have therefore generally been adjusted so that the -locking member-is at the full extent of its possible movement along the wedging surface when'the arm is in the non displayed position, but to make this adjustment accurately and without any play 'between theend of the-arm and the bufier isdiiiicult in mass production.

When the-arm is made or more flexible material, such as of polythene as described in the specification of my aforesaid coperiding application, the rubber buffer'may be-dispensed with and reliance placed upon the resiliency of the arm, but here again difiiculties arise, inmassproduction, in adjusting the end of thearm relative solenoid I With this construction, the arm is positively heldin a definite position when lowered, and the locking roller 5 can engage with "any partof the "wedging surface 18 -of-the vertical section or the slot It without wedging the lock to a degree which prevents it being released when the solenoid is energised. The strength exerted by the spring 16 holding the locking member against this Wedging surface 19 must, of course, not be made so great as to nullify the advantages of this invention. The momentum of the outer end of the arm, which swings on a larger arc, is absorbed in the arm itself, the rigid stop 18 positively holding the rigid member I connected to the arm bearing so that the lock does not wedge.

Whilst, therefore, due to the tolerances necessary in mass production manufacture, the looking roller I5 may engage at difierent positions along the wedging surface IS, in each position the arm is held against vibration and is not undesirably wedged against actuation by the solenoid.

The stop l8 may, if desired, be made adjustable, for example by making it of strip metal which can be bent to adjust its position relative to the r igid portion 4 of the arm. I

I If desired, guide members 20 may be carried from the lower end of the indicator framework and-be positioned on oppositesides df'the lower fendbf the indicator arm 3 when in its non-displayed position in order to keep it in vertical alignment. The lower end of the'ar-m, however, should not touch any member which would act as a stop or buffer and nullify the effector the stop at the upper end of the arm.

hccording to a further feature of the "invention, a further 'stop i's provided which isadapted to engagewith the rear side of the upper end'of the armature (that is the side thereof opposite to the arm) or'a meniber'su'chas the locking plate at said upper end, when the armature is fully projecting from 'the solenoid "and the "indicating arm is in the non-displayed position. This stop is preferably made adjustable so that, "when in this-position, the armatureba'n-be positioned substantially centrally with ref erence to the core tube of the solenoid, thus preventing binding by the armature being wedged against this core tube under the action of the springs or other resilient members holding the arm in the locking position.

This second stop may, a shown in the drawing, comprise a strip -of metal 21 which iscarried by the framework 8 or the upper bracket l of'the indicator, and extends forwardly and bears against the rear-edge of the lockingplate "9. 'The end of this strip -2-l which bears against the looking plate is preferably curved and the position of the stop may be adjustedby-simply bending the strip forwards or backwards until the armature 2, when in its upper position, is central with respect to the core tube of the solenoid 'I Whilst Figs. 1 to 4 show an electrically actuated indica-tor, itwill be'un'derstoodthat new flexible lock according to this invention may beuse d in conjunction with indicators operated "by other sources ofpowersuch as by fluid pressure or "suction, in which case the "solenoid and "armature would'be replaced by a cylinder and piston.

'With the flexible "lock described with all previously known constructions, the manual raising o fthe indicator arm exerts a'transverse force upon the armature of the operating solenoid or electroma'gnet (-orthe piston rod in 'the base er a fluid actuated indicator) in order to move It downwards. "Thiscauses the-armature or the like to bear heavily'against the side of the core tube of the solenoid or the back of the framework 'or case, whichis liable to give rise'to sticking 'orbinding and resistance to opening, with consequent damage to *t-he indicator arm and mechanism unless these parts are made sufiiciently strong and heavy to withstand the increased load placed upon them under such'circumstances.

A further feature of the invention consists in the provision of means for overcoming this sticking or binding when the semaphore arm is manually raised. To this end, the pivoted member carrying or constituting the semaphore arm is provided with a member, which, upon manually raising the arm from its non-displayed position and the flexible lock failing to release, exerts a force upon the armature or the like in a direction substantially parallel to its normal line of movement, whereby the armature is moved and the flexible lock is released.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, this feature of the invention is attained by providing the bearing plate 5 with a projection 26 which is adapted to lie against or just above the shoulder 25 at the upper end of the armature 2 when the latter is fully raised and is looking the arm in its closed position.

With this arrangement, upon manually raising the semaphore arm this projection 24 bears against the shoulder 25 to move the latter downwardly, if the flexible lock has not previously released the armature. If the armature sticks, the projection 24 moves it downwards with a force acting in its direction of movement, during which time the lever ll turns and moves the roller 55 up the vertical section of the slot it] until, after a slight movement, the roller l5 snaps into the horizontal section of the slot in and the spring l3 immediately slightly advances the armature, thus moving its shoulder 25 out of engagement with the end of the projection 24. This provides clearance for the said projection, the armature being lowered, upon further manual raising of the arm by the roller 1 5 moving across the horizontal section of the slot !0.

Figs. 5 to 8 show a modified construction of the locking mechanism in which the lever Ii is dispensed with and the pin M, which again preferably carries a grooved roller i5, is mounted for movement in a slot 22 cut in the end of the bearing plate 5, a spring 23 (corresponding to the spring l3 of the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4) being provided to urge the pin it to the lower end of the slot 22. The slot 22 may be so disposed, for example so that its direction corresponds to the are about which the end of the lever H of the previous embodiment moved, that the pin l4 and roller l5 move in a manner similar to that described above when the flexible lock releases upon the arm being raised manually.

The inner end of the bearing plate may again be provided with a projection 24 for exerting a direct force on the armature in its direction of movement if the latter should stick upon the arm being manually raised. This projection may be so disposed that it only acts positively to move the armature if the flexible lock does not operate and move the armature before the projection engages with the armature.

A still further feature of the invention consists in constructing the locking plate at the top of the armature as a die-casting which is cast integrally with a socket adapted to fit over the end of the armature, the end of the armature being undercut whereby the socket may be compressed therearound or cast therearound to assemble the two parts together. Preferably, the external diameter of the socket portion corresponds approximately to or is less than the diameter of the armature, the end of which may be reduced in size to fit within the aperture within the socket. I, v

I claim:

1. Vehicle direction indicator comprising a frame member, a semaphore arm, a pivot fixed relative to said frame member about which said semaphore arm is adapted to swing, an actuating mechanism, a locking plate coupled to the actuating mechanism and having an L-shaped slot therein, the first section of the slot extending substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the actuating mechanismand the second section extending parallel to said direction, a pin carried by the semaphore arm and engaging in said second section of the slot when the arm is in its non-displayed position, and

means permitting said pin to move relative .to the semaphore arm and against the action of a spring in a direction, when the arm is in the non-displayed position, away from said second section of the slot. I

2. Vehicle direction indicator comprising a frame member, a solenoid carried by said frame member, an armature movable within said solenoid, a semaphore arm, a pivot fixed relative to said frame member about which said semaphore arm is adapted to swing, a locking plate carried by the armature and having an L-shaped slot therein, the first section of the slot extending substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the armature and the second section extending parallel to said direction, a pin carried by the semaphore arm and engaging in said second section of the slot when the arm is in its non-displayed position, means permitting said pin to move relative to the semaphore arm and against the action of a spring in a direction, when the arm is in the non-displayed position, away from said second section of the slot, whereby manual raising of the arm causes said pin to move relative thereto against the action of said spring and to move along said second section until it moves into said first section.

3. Vehicle direction indicator comprising a frame member, a, solenoid carried by said frame member, an armature movable within said solenoid, a semaphore arm, a pivot fixed relative to said frame member about which said semaphore arm is adapted to swing, a locking plate carried by the armature and having an L-shaped slot therein, the first section of the slot extending substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement of the armature and the second section extending parallel to said direction, a pin carried by the semaphore arm, a roller mounted on said pin and engaging in said second section of the slot when the arm is in its non-displayed position, means permitting said pin to move relative to the semaphore arm and against the action of a spring in a direction, when the arm is in the non-displayed position, away from said second section of the slot, whereby manual raising of the arm causes said pin to move relative thereto against the action of said spring and to move the roller along said second section until it moves into said first section, and a second spring connecting said pin with the locking plate and tending to urge the roller into said second section of the slot.

4. A vehicle direction indicator comprising a semaphore arm, a frame member, a pivot member carried by the arm and cooperating with the frame member to form a pivot about which the arm is adapted to swing, an actuating member for moving the arm from the non-displayed po- 7 sitien to the displayed position, locking means associated with the actuating member for holding the arm in the non-displayed position, a, rigid member which is rigidly connected to the arm pivot, a'r'igid stop carried by the frame member adjacent the pivot and adapted to engage with the rigid member w'h'enthe arm is locked in the non-displayed position, and a further stop car- Tied by the frame member which engages with that surface of the end of the actuating mem- 'fber which iies opposite to the arm pivot when the arm is in the hon-displayed position.

5. A vehicle direction indicator comprising a frame member, a semaphore arm, a pivot fixed relative to said frame member about which said semaphore arm is adapted to swing, an actuating #member movable with respect to said frame member for moving the arm from its non-displayed "position to its displayed position, means associated withthe actuating member for locking the arm in its non-displayed position, a resii-ient connection between the =a-rma-nd the actuating member, and a member carried by the arm which, upon the arm being manually raised against the action of the resilient connection, exerts a "force upon the actuating member in substantially the same direction that it normally moves to move the actuating member in a direction to release the "lock.

EDX'VARD OS H-EI.

REFERENCES CIT-ED The following references are of record in the 'file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

